Elsir Vale
The Elsir Vale is a subtropical region of the continent of Nerath. Geography and weather The Elsir Vale is a thinly populated frontier, stretching from east to west for almost 250 miles (402 kms.), and averaging about 70 miles (112 kms.) from north to south. Several small mountain ranges and dense forests form the Vale's boundaries. Though the borders of the vale are mostly hills, mountains and forests, the heart of the vale is grassy plains for the most part. Every town in the vale is surrounded by numerous farms. Beyond the civilized areas are vast rolling plains with infrequent hillocks and copses of trees.5 Summers in the vale are hot and dry (although punctuated by the occasional intense thunderstorm), and winters are warm and rainy. Large stretches of the area are quite arid, and the vale is flanked by the vast savannahs stretching for miles. The forests that stretch across most of the vale's northern reaches are stifling and sweltering hot in the summertime, with not a breath of wind to relieve the oppressive heat. History Several civilizations have come and gone over the last thousand years in the vale. An ancient dwarf-kingdom that spanned the Wyrmsmoke, Giantshield, and Stonehome Mountains more than a thousand years ago built most of the roadways, the city of Overlook and the fortresses in the pass. After the dwarf-realm passed, the presence of various monsters and raiders kept traffic along the Dawn Way light for many years; few caravans dared the long and dangerous trek. Few humans lived in Elsir Vale during those years—only scattered settlements of druidic folk who left behind little more than grassy barrows and stone circles on the hilltops. About five hundred years ago, the nearby city of Rhest came to control the vale and a large swath of land north of the Giantshield Mountains as well. Soldiers from Rhest secured the roads all the way to Dennovar and beyond, creating a safe passage for trade. Under the kingdom's shield, the towns along the Dawn Way—Brindol, Talar, Terrelton, and the rest—grew up from tiny hamlets or lonely soldiers' posts to flourishing human settlements. As the Dawn Way became an important route for trade, the kingdom of Rhestilor grew wealthy on the tariffs exacted from the passing merchants. Eventually, Rhestilor became part of the human Empire of Nerath. Rhestilor eventually collapsed under civil strife, monstrous incursions, and magical blights. Almost two hundred years ago, the city of Rhest was burned by a savage horde out of the Wyrmsmoke Mountains. Although the warriors of Rhestilor killed many of the goblins and their kind, the city was abandoned and the already weakened kingdom broken. A few years after, the whole Empire of Nerath collapsed as well. Since then, the towns of Elsir Vale came to look after themselves. While most of the local lords still hold titles derived from the old kingdom of Rhestilor and everyone knows that the kings of Rhestilor were long dead, no new realm has arisen in the Vale. Almost thirty years ago, the tranquility of the Vale was shattered when the Red Hand of Doom, a horde of hobgoblins and their various allies from within and without the Wyrmsmoke Mountains, descended upon the Vale. Although the many villages of the Vale suffered greatly, and Brindol itself nearly fell to a siege from the Red Hand, the folk living in the Vale managed to keep them at bay while a band of brave adventurers stormed into the teeth of the approaching Hand. They managed to decapitate the leadership of the horde, that scattered and fled, many being hunted down by soldiers and hunters over the next several months. Since then, the Vale has known several years of peace.